Nagano Station Shinkansen Change and Ekiben
Nagano Station Shinkansen Change and Ekiben
Overview
John Daub finds himself in one of his signature rushed scenarios—this time racing to catch the Joetsu Shinkansen from Nagano Station back to Tokyo after a skiing trip at Yogo Kogen. The video captures the authentic chaos of a traveler juggling train transfers, last-minute omiyage shopping, and the heartbreak of missing out on the beloved ekiben. With characteristic humor and candor, John navigates the Shinkansen platforms, explores limited food options, and ultimately accepts his fate as an "ekiben failure" while making the most of what Nagano Station has to offer. The winter setting provides a glimpse into Nagano's cold-weather culture and the convenience of Japan's legendary train system.
Highlights
- 00:03 John reveals his signature rushed train situation and the noluggage ticket transfer trick at Nagano Station
- 00:19 Exploring Nagano's local omiyage—apple Kit Kats, local jams, pickled vegetables, and miso senbei
- 01:06 Discovering Nagano's apple-themed products and the famous apple cake shaped like a whole apple
- 01:20 Finding Nagano craft beer with a regional mascot on the label
- 03:47 The devastating announcement: ekiben are sold out due to the late afternoon timing
- 04:44 John races against the clock with only 8 minutes to find food before departure
- 06:43 Discovering a soba shop on the platform—closed before he can reach it
- 08:49 John's enthusiastic introduction to the Nagano Olympics Shinkansen: "This is a badass Shinkansen"
- 09:39 History lesson on the Joetsu Shinkansen and the 1998 Nagano Olympics connection
- 14:52 Final food rescue: settling for ham katsu sandwich and cake as dinner
Timeline / Chapters
00:00 - Arrival & Transfer Confusion John arrives at Nagano Station after skiing at Yogo Kogen and attempts the noluggage ticket transfer—putting both tickets in simultaneously to transfer between trains without going through the gates.
00:52 - Omiyage Shopping John browses the Nagano omiyage options including local jams, pickled vegetables, apple Kit Kats, and apple cake. He notes the apple Kit Kats are about ¥800 ($8).
01:19 - Beer Discovery Finds Nagano's local craft beer with a mascot on the label—declaring it "really good beer" and deciding to purchase it for the ride.
02:26 - Gift Shopping & Checkout John's companion helps pick out chestnut-themed products including bird's nest chocolate. They complete purchases of beer and Kit Kats for around ¥2,000 total.
03:47 - Ekiben Crisis The crushing realization: ekiben are completely sold out due to the late afternoon timing. John expresses genuine disappointment.
04:06 - Platform Search John races down to Platform 14 to check if any ekiben remain at platform kiosks, discovering his train has already arrived.
04:47 - Platform Kiosk Investigation Finds a closed soba shop and a kiosk with only regular bentos—no true ekiben available. John reluctantly accepts the limited choices: a wrap sandwich or onigiri.
06:43 - Shinkansen Nose Art John walks to the front of the Shinkansen to show viewers the impressive nose design, which "opens up" to connect to other trains.
08:49 - Joetsu Shinkansen History John explains the 1998 Nagano Olympics connection to the Joetsu Shinkansen line, sharing an anecdote about the political origins of the Niigata line.
11:04 - Train Observations John notes that Shinkansen food is "expensiver" (more expensive) and that most people don't buy onboard. He confirms he's in car 8, seat C3 row B.
12:57 - Last Chance Shopping John makes one final platform run, discovering questionable sandwich options (ham katsu, sea chicken) and settling for an umeboshi unigiri and cake.
15:28 - Final Purchase & Departure Completes the transaction (¥1,406) and races to board. Thanks viewers, mentions upcoming Hokkaido streams and a Monday ryokan/kaiseki video.
17:56 - On the Train John says goodbye to Nagano, promising to return. The train departs with his modest provisions of cake, unigiri, and Nagano beer.
Japan Travel Tips
- Train Transfer Trick: At major stations like Nagano, you can transfer between trains without exiting through gates by inserting both tickets simultaneously into the ticket slot—the system recognizes the transfer and only charges for the remaining journey.
- Timing Matters for Ekiben: Ekiben (train bento boxes) sell out, especially in the afternoon. Buy early in the day or at dedicated ekiben shops before your journey.
- Platform Kiosks: Major Shinkansen stations place kiosks directly on platforms for last-minute food purchases—check these if the main station shops are closed.
- Onboard Food is Expensive: Food and drinks purchased on the Shinkansen are significantly more expensive than platform or station purchases. Stock up beforehand.
- Omiyage Culture: When visiting a destination in Japan, you're expected to bring back small gifts (omiyage) for colleagues and friends. Popular options include regional food specialties.
- Nagano's Apple Products: Nagano is famous for apples and apple-themed products—Kit Kats, cakes, and fresh apples make excellent omiyage.
- Vending Machine Drinks: Train station vending machines offer hot drinks (marked with a flame icon) and cold drinks. Canned miso soup and corn soup are unique Japanese options.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
Ekiben (駅弁) — Train station bento boxes are a beloved Japanese tradition dating back to the early 20th century. Each region features local specialties, making them both a meal and a souvenir of the journey. Nagano is known for soba noodles and mountain vegetables in its ekiben.
Omiyage (お土産) — The cultural expectation to bring back gifts from any trip is deeply embedded in Japanese society. Unlike Western souvenirs, omiyage are typically food items shared among office colleagues or family. The word literally means "gift from the road."
Noluggage System (手回り品) — The noluggage service allows travelers to send luggage ahead, eliminating the need to carry ski equipment or heavy bags on trains. This was particularly useful for John's ski trip.
Joetsu Shinkansen History — Built for the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, the Joetsu Shinkansen connects Tokyo to Niigata via Nagano. John shares an anecdote about political motivations for the Niigata route's construction.
Shinkansen Nose Design — The distinctive nose cones of Shinkansen trains are designed to minimize tunnel boom noise and allow trains to connect seamlessly for increased efficiency.
Food & Drink Guide
Nagano Apple Kit Kats
- Description: Apple-flavored Kit Kat sticks, a regional version of the popular snack
- Price: Approximately ¥800 (~$8)
- Location: Nagano Station gift shops
- John's reaction: Purchased as omiyage
Apple Cake
- Description: A cake designed to look like an entire apple, wrapped in what appears to be the whole fruit
- Location: Nagano Station shops
- John's reaction: "Wow, there's a beer... This looks really good"
Nagano Craft Beer
- Description: Local Nagano beer featuring a regional mascot character on the label
- Price: ~¥350-500
- Location: Nagano Station shops and kiosks
- John's reaction: "This is really good beer that I like in Nagano"
Walnut/Chestnut Roll Cake
- Description: A swiss roll cake filled with chestnut pieces and walnuts
- Price: Approximately ¥1,000-1,200 (~$10-12)
- Location: Nagano Station bakery section
- John's reaction: "This looks really good... They have pieces of chestnut in it"
Umeboshi Unigiri (梅干しおにぎり)
- Description: Rice ball with pickled plum filling, wrapped in seaweed
- Location: Platform kiosk
- John's reaction: "It's like the choices are bad... I'm not looking forward to it, but it might go good with the beer"
Ham Katsu Sandwich
- Description: Breaded ham cutlet sandwich
- Location: Platform kiosk
- Price: Approximately ¥500
- John's reaction: "Ham katsu, that looks bad... I guess it's cake for dinner"
Jurokucha (十六茶)
- Description: A blended Japanese herbal tea with no caffeine
- Location: Platform vending machine
- John's reaction: "I do like Jurokucha, but it sits in my stomach for a long time. Muki-cha is really good"
Canned Miso Soup & Corn Soup
- Description: Hot canned soups available from train platform vending machines
- Location: Platform vending machines
- John's reaction: "They got miso soup in a can. That's cool. And corn soup"
People
John Daub — The host and creator of Only in Japan Go. American who has lived in Japan for over 30 years. Here he demonstrates his authentic travel experience—rushing between trains, dealing with sold-out ekiben, and making the best of limited food options. His humor and self-deprecating style shine through as he embraces his "ekiben failure."
Travel Companion (possibly Peter von Gomm) — Filming with John, helping identify products and sharing reactions to the Nagano offerings. Identified as SPEAKER_04 in the transcript.
Nathan — A Superchat donor who supported the channel during this livestream. John acknowledges the contribution mid-rush.
Station Staff — JR East staff in heavy winter jackets, working at Nagano Station during the cold January weather.
Shop/Kiosk Staff — Multiple clerks assisting John with purchases of beer, snacks, and the final desperate sandwich.
Key Takeaways
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Plan Ahead for Ekiben: True regional ekiben sell out by mid-to-late afternoon. Purchase your desired bento early in the day or accept that platform kiosks may only have standard options.
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Transfer Trick Saves Time: The noluggage/transfer ticket system at major Japanese stations allows seamless train changes without passing through exit gates—insert both tickets simultaneously.
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Nagano is Apple Country: The region's cool climate produces excellent apples and apple-based products, from fresh fruit to Kit Kats, cakes, and snacks.
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Embrace the Chaos: Some of the best travel moments come from things going wrong. John's ekiben failure becomes an entertaining narrative and a valuable lesson for viewers.
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Shinkansen Platform Shopping: Platform kiosks are positioned for last-minute purchases, but their selection is limited. Station concourse shops offer better variety.
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Vending Machine Culture: Japanese train station vending machines offer practical hot and cold options including tea, soup, and coffee—the heated options (marked with a flame) are perfect for winter travel.
Notable Quotes
00:03 John Daub: "You know how like I'm always rushing around Japan in a hurry trying to catch the trains? This is one of those episodes."
01:56 John Daub: "Look at this apple cake, and it looks like the entire apple was wrapped in the cake."
02:05 John Daub: "This is really good beer that I like in Nagano. I might get it for the ride. They put the mascot on the beer."
03:47 John Daub: "I didn't see any ekiben. They're sold out. The ekiben are gone. This one's late in the day, you see? Late in the day, they run out of ekiben."
06:08 John Daub: "Can you imagine not—I'm riding the Shinkansen without anything to eat, just booze. The injustice of it is just mind blowing."
08:57 John Daub: "This is a badass Shinkansen. Okay? Think about that because I didn't know if I wanted to say it. You know, if you're gonna say a word like that, you gotta commit to saying it, right?"
11:42 John Daub: "They sell food on the train, but it's really expensiver. If that was a word. More expensive. Expensiver sounds better. It's expensiver."
18:05 John Daub: "This was a Nagano Station Shinkansen change run, change and ekiben failure. So I hope you enjoyed the ekiben failure."
18:21 John Daub: "I can only wear this hat in the Japanese Alps. I can't wear this hat on the streets of Tokyo. It doesn't fit in with the alpine look."
Related Topics
- Shinkansen travel across Japan
- Japanese train station food culture
- Ekiben traditions and regional specialties
- Nagano skiing and the Japanese Alps
- Omiyage culture and gift-giving in Japan
- Convenience store and kiosk food in Japan
- Winter travel in Japan
- Nagano 1998 Winter Olympics legacy
- Ryokan stays and kaiseki dining
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #nagano #shinkansen #joetsu-shinkansen #ekiben #omiyage #nagano-beer #train-travel #japan-winter #japanese-alps #skiing-japan #nagano-food #nagano-apple #apple-kit-kat #train-bento #nagano-station #japan-food #vending-machine #japan-travel-tips #1998-nagano-olympics #john-daub #onlyinjapango
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Full Transcript
00:03 John Daub: You know how like I'm always rushing around Japan in a hurry trying to catch the trains? This is one of those episodes. Here's the ticket from Yogo Kogen, which is where I was for skiing, and here's the ticket for the Shinkansen that goes back to Tokyo from Nagano Station. This is a noluggage situation. So I think I put in both the tickets at the same time. Yes, and only one of them came out. So I changed from one train to the other directly into the Shinkansen because I don't have a lot of time.
00:48 John Daub: I always do this. That means in the next 10 minutes I have to buy an ekiben and maybe some gifts called omiyage. It's gifts that we give to people that we work with, their friends that we know. Something from the trip because everybody knows that you went on a trip yet. You can't come home empty-handed. So this is Nagano Station, Shinkansen area. A lot of people are carrying snowboards as you can see. The JR staff has heavy jackets on because it is cold here.
01:19 Travel Companion: Here's some of the gifts.
01:21 John Daub: Jams, because it's a very natural area. These look good. These are pickled vegetables from the area. These are really good as well.
01:38 John Daub: We have the apple flavored Kit Kats. About $8 for that. That's pricey. Look at this apple cake, and it looks like the entire apple was wrapped in the cake. There's some miso, miso senbei, which looks good too. Wow. Wow, there's a beer. This is really good beer that I like in Nagano. I might get it for the ride. They put the the mascot on the beer.
02:16 John Daub: Check it out. This is awesome.
02:24 John Daub: Beer.
02:26 John Daub: This is... What kind of beer is it? I really don't know. I'm gonna get both of these. What else should I get here? Okay, these are like... What is that? Made from chestnuts. These are all made from chestnuts here. It's like a bird's nest. Bird's nest chocolate.
03:10 John Daub: Beer first. Here you go. 1, 2.
03:18 Clerk: Here you go.
03:19 John Daub: Kit Kats. That's about $7. Here you go.
03:39 Clerk: Thank you.
03:41 John Daub: Got the change. Alright. I didn't see any ekiben. They're sold out. The ekiben are gone. This one's late in the day, you see? Late in the day, they run out of ekiben. Alright, the waiting room here is... We're losing the gimbal. The waiting room is pretty crowded because it's cold out there. This is the Shinkansen platform. There's not that many stores. I would have to leave. I think I gotta leave the Shinkansen in order to... in order to buy the gifts. This is kind of a pain in the neck.
04:27 John Daub: I'm taking the... You see this one? I'm taking the 908 train. There's not a lot of room for error.
04:44 Travel Companion: Alright.
04:47 John Daub: I got like 8 minutes. That's enough time to get something. Let's see what we can find.
04:51 John Daub: Alright. Oh, that's the mascot for my beer. That's the beer mascot. There's no Ekiben. Although this looks really good. This is a walnut... This is a walnut... Chestnut cake. Roll cake. And they have pieces of chestnut in it. Do you see that? This is $12. About $10 for one. It's pretty heavy.
05:30 Clerk: I guess I'm gonna have to go sandwich, huh?
05:35 John Daub: Oh, there's something here. What the heck is this? Oh, that's just... That's soba. Soba noodles. Convenience sandwiches. Convenience sandwiches or unigiri. I'm gonna pass. I'm gonna pass on that.
06:03 John Daub: I really, really wanted an Ekiben. Hold on. Sometimes they have them on the platform. So let's go down and see if they have them on the platform. My train's on platform number 14. Okay. So let's go down to platform number 14 and see if they have an Ekiben downstairs.
06:37 John Daub: Oh, the train's here already. That's the Shinkansen right there. Oh, there's a soba shop on the platform. Do you see that? You can get a quick ball of soba and there's a vending machine that you can pay from here. I believe. Oh, but she's closed. Oh, okay. There's a kiosk. These kiosks always have some sort of Ekiben inside. They put the kiosks on the platform so people can get in and get out real fast.
07:25 John Daub: The choices are limited. Oh my. There's no Ekiben. They're just like regular bentos.
07:41 John Daub: A wrap sandwich? It's $2.
07:49 John Daub: Bam kuchen. I'm not really into this.
07:57 Clerk: Sake, ume, karakor.
08:06 John Daub: There's no Ekiben! There's my ticket. I have to go to car number 8, number 3, seat number B. Alright, so it's this way. I'm lost. What should I do? I want my Ekiben! Can you imagine not—I'm riding the Shinkansen without anything to eat, just booze. The injustice of it is just mind blowing.
08:40 John Daub: Um, so I'm gonna walk to the front of the train and show you what the front of the Shinkansen looks like, cause it is—bad, badass. Okay? Think about that because I didn't know if I wanted to say it. You know, if you're gonna say a word like that, you gotta commit to saying it, right? This is a badass Shinkansen. Okay? From Nagano to Tokyo. And they built this for the Olympics. They built this when the Olympics started in 1998. So, they, I think the only Shinkansen line that they had when they first came. It was very limited to the Tokaido Shinkansen and one, the Niigata. And they built the one in Niigata because the Prime Minister of Japan, this is what I was told. It's not fact. It might be fact. He's corrupt. And because he was from Niigata, he decided to make the Shinkansen run to Niigata. And yeah. That was the Joetsu Shinkansen. And there was some debate on whether or not that was a good thing to do, but hey, in the end, Niigata got a Shinkansen.
09:50 John Daub: Alright, here we are in the front of the Shinkansen. So you can get a chance to see the nose before I panic and alright. Looking back at the Shinkansen. That's what I'm riding back to Tokyo in five, ten minutes now. That's a cool train, huh? I think the nose opens up so you can connect it to another train. It's got like this high-tech nose on it. Awesome, awesome time. I did two live streams when I was in—I'm losing the gimbal. I did two live streams in Nagano. I'm not sure if I can get it to the end or uh, Niigata. Come back here. Come back here.
10:46 Clerk: Alright.
10:50 John Daub: Ahahaha! Gimbal failure. Hold on, we got this, mama. There we go. Alright. I used to use the Osmo, but the Osmo died on me. This is the first Osmo. They released an Osmo Mobile 2. Now I'm using the Smooth Q. It's done a pretty good job. Alright, I'm in car number 8. This is car number 2. I still didn't get my Ekiben.
11:40 John Daub: Gimbal down. Gimbal down. Tokyo. Alright. These Shinkansen are super long.
12:03 John Daub: Oh, there it is. It's coming in. I'm not on that one. Once again, I'm in Nagano. You know, they sell food on the train, but it's really expensive. Expensiver. If that was a word. More expensive. Expensiver sounds better. It's expensiver. So, most people don't buy it on the trains. However, all the bento shops are closed, so the options are limited to that kiosk. So, you can get a kiosk, you see, right over there. And, uh, Gimbal down. Gimbal down. Gimbal not liking. Gimbal not living up to its standards.
13:11 John Daub: Maybe that'll help. Alright, car number 8. I'm gonna put my bags down and book. I think if I hurry, I might be able to find something to eat. Alright. Anything. C3, row B. Car 8, C3, row B.
13:33 John Daub: Row B.
13:49 John Daub: Alright, I'm gonna go out there and try to find a bag.
13:57 John Daub: I'm gonna try to find something to eat. Real fast. Let's do this. I got like, I got like no time. I keep in before it's too late from Nathan! Nathan gave me a superchat!
14:18 Clerk: I gotta go get this, this something! They're playing the music for the other train, but it's freaking me out because the other two cars are both going there. Okay, we're getting something. This is my last chance.
14:35 John Daub: Alright, there's sandwich, mini-giddy. What should I get? Mini-giddy. This does not look like it's had it looks like it has better days.
14:52 John Daub: Ah, there's no sandwiches in. I'm just getting a sandwich. Ham katsu, that looks bad. Sea chicken.
15:02 John Daub: Umeboshi. It's like the choices are bad. It's a lose-lose. Okay.
15:08 John Daub: This pretty cake looks good. I guess it's cake for dinner. Yeah.
15:24 John Daub: Wasabi. Thank you for your service.
15:28 Clerk: This is 1406 yen.
15:41 Clerk: 3,500 yen. Thank you. Thank you.
16:09 John Daub: Alright, we don't got much time. Ah, soba. If I had just one, like 10 minutes, I would have gotten that. I should have gotten that. Look at the meat in that. Alright, we don't got time. See up there. I'm on this one right here. The 1908. Tokyo.
16:53 John Daub: That's not deer meat. I saw the chats coming in. You think I don't read the chats? I read the chats. They just go by real fast. Alright. Three minutes. Not really. Sometimes the clocks are wrong. We're good. We're good. Okay. Here is the vending machine for the train. This is the choices you get on the platform. My favorite, I do like Jurokucha, but it sits in my stomach for a long time. Muki-cha is really good. No caffeine. The green teas are always good. These are heated. The ones with the fire on it. And these are cool. They got miso soup in a can. That's cool. And corn soup. Alright, I'm getting on the train.
17:56 John Daub: So I hope you enjoyed this... What was the purpose of this livestream? This was a Nagano Station Shinkansen change run. Change and Ekiben failure. So I hope you enjoyed the Ekiben failure. I did get a cake and an unigiri for umeboshi. An umeboshi unigiri, which I'm not looking forward to, but it might go good with the beer.
18:21 John Daub: I can only wear this hat in the Japanese Alps. I can't wear this hat on the streets of Tokyo. It doesn't fit in with the alpine look. So this is the last you're gonna see this hat in a while. Although, I plan to go to Hokkaido next week. So you're gonna see most likely some streams from up there in the very, very north of Hokkaido. I'm really looking forward to it. I hope you are too. I want to say thanks to everybody who's been giving super chats and supporting the channel. It's been a really crazy start to the year. There's another Only Japan main channel video on ryokan, on kaiseki ryōri, on staying in traditional Japanese inns, coming on Monday. Which I believe would be maybe Sunday night if we do this right. Looking forward to it. The train's leaving. Bye bye everybody. Have a good day. Or night. He's looking at me. At least I'm on the train. Bye bye Nagano. I'll be back. I'm always back. Bye bye.